Chapter 12 Critical Analysis

    I personally really loved reading chapter 12 of the textbook because the author thoroughly explained the difference between blogs, vlogs, webinars and podcasts while also explaining how and why they became popular. The first few sections talk about what blogs are and how you can use them for marketing purposes. A blog comes from the words “web log” that was eventually shortened to blog. A blog is a form of communication that allows every day users to connect with others on a specific topic through the use of written text and personal commentary. One quote that stood out to me was “Today blogging has exploded in popularity: 77 percent of internet users read blogs”. If I am being honest, I had never read a blog before this class so it was super surprising to hear how many people actually read blogs in today’s society. The text also talks about how to style the titles of your blogs in order to get the most amount of traffic or views. I thought this section was fascinating because I didn’t know that the titles and the way you style them mattered and had a big impact on the amount of views your blog gets. 

    Moving on to vlogs, I already knew a little bit about what they were but I didn’t know about the history and how much they have popularized due to social media. Vlogs are video logs, similar to blogs just in a video format. In the text, it reveals why vlogging has become so popular and one big reason is “...viewers get an in-depth look into the lives of real people. There is no hiding behind written words on a page, and Vloggers are authentic, inspirational, and appealing”. I like this quote because to me it proves that we enjoy watching videos that feel realistic and the more genuine you are the more followers you will likely have. In my opinion, you can share a lot more about your life with vlogs than blogs, podcasts or webinars. I have always wanted to make vlogs but I never would because I didn’t think enough people liked them or would watch and listen to what I had to say. Knowing that so many people like vlogs definitely eases my nerves and has made me re-think about vlogging at some point in the near future. 

    I think podcasts are great but, personally I don’t listen to them that often. This isn’t because I don’t think they aren’t important, but because I get distracted when I am listening to a podcast and my mind wanders. I start to think of other things I need to do or something that bothered me and forget that I am listening to something. This is why when I listen to music, since I listen to it so often, I’m not worried about missing something because I know the song very well and have heard it many times before. Podcasts have capitalized all around the world and have become a staple in American culture. I do hope that I can get into podcasts, especially ones that talk about self care or how to better yourself.  

    I feel the same way about webinars, I don’t tend to go on them but I can understand how it can be beneficial for organizations, especially smaller businesses that are trying to increase sales. Webinars are so different from other forms of social media because you can communicate directly with customers and talk about products and services or answer questions about your business. Personally I don’t participate in webinars, not because they aren’t useful but for similar reasons as podcasts. I just don’t find them as interesting and I usually don’t have time to join one as they can take between 30 minutes to an hour. Webinars are important for businesses to take advantage of and they certainly have become more popular over time. 

    This chapter was really well structured and thoroughly explains what each thing is and how it can be beneficial for you. I think these 4 ways of communication are so important and I want to learn the best ways to market myself through them. I hope over time I can participate in all four ways of digital communication.